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enDe Bruyne the top Premier League player in Best 100Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been named the leading Premier League player in FourFourTwos Best 100 Players in the World 2016.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/de-bruyne-top-premier-league-player-best-100
The 25-year-old, who scored 10 Bundesliga goals and assisted 20 more with Wolfsburg in 2014/15, had a hand in 16 Premier League goals last term.
But the Belgian's season was disrupted by a knee ligament injury that meant he missed all of Man City’s February and March fixtures, during which the team suffered league losses to Leicester, Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Fit again in 2016/17, the former Chelsea man has posted two goals and seven assists in 13 league games, as the Blues look to win a third Premier League crown.
De Bruyne is ranked eighth in this year’s FFT100, one place above Sergio Aguero, while David Silva is also among the top 10 Premier League men for 2016.
Manchester United can also boast three members in the Premier League top 10, with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic placed at 14 and 18 in the overall list, while David de Gea is at 31 – only Manuel Neuer is rated a better gloveman.
Chelsea’s poor defence of their Premier League title last term means that just four of their squad are selected this year. Eden Hazard is ranked the seventh best player in the Premier League, but a drop of eight places from 2015 takes him out of the overall top 20.
N’Golo Kante’s title-winning performances for unfancied Leicester City – combined with his impressive start to life as a Chelsea player in 2016/17 – see the French enforcer make his FFT100 debut straight into the top 30.
While a little further north,Arsenal duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil retain their places among the Premier League’s elite after helping the Gunners pip arch rivals Spurs to second spot in the Premier League last term.
Sanchez, who in June helped Chile secure a second Copa America triumph in as many years, is rated the fourth-best player in the English top flight, while 19 league assists and six goals for Ozil see the German schemer break back into the top 20 of the main list.
FOURFOURTWO’S BEST 100 FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD 2016
news_articleThu, 08 Dec 2016 11:13:06 +0000Gregg Davies658479 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comIheanacho shines but Guardiola concerns lie deeperKelechi Iheanacho can fill the void left by Sergio Aguero's ban but there is plenty more to concern Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/iheanacho-shines-guardiola-concerns-lie-deeper
A six-figure weekly salary and, suddenly, all this free time on his hands – hopes will be high in Sergio Aguero's household with regards to what Manchester City's top scorer might be getting his loved ones for Christmas.
However, manager Pep Guardiola's hopes of stringing together a plentiful bounty of festive goals were severely dented at the weekend, when the Argentina star recklessly lunged at David Luiz to earn a red card and a four-game ban as City unravelled in defeat to Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Aguero's presence on the bench for Tuesday's Champions League Group C dead rubber against Celtic gave 16-year-old City midfielder Phil Foden another reason to pinch himself after being included in the matchday squad, but it also signalled Guardiola's intent to road-test the attacking options that must serve him for domestic assignments versus Leicester City, Watford, Arsenal and Hull City.
The Catalan's decision to shelve his normal preference of a lone centre-forward and name Kelechi Iheanacho and Nolito up front in the 1-1 draw added to a sense of this being an audition for the leading role in his festive production.
That will be a pantomime if City's defence have anything to do with it. The personnel were different to Saturday's 3-1 reverse but the frailties were all too familiar.
Willy Caballero - in for Claudio Bravo and seemingly with an increased willingness to put himself in the way of opposition shots – chipped a hopeful fourth-minute pass towards Leroy Sane. His execution was lacking and City loanee Patrick Roberts sent a resounding message to his parent club by dancing past Gael Clichy and crashing home.
Iheanacho was similarly emphatic four minutes later as he strode on to Nolito's throughball and rifled into the top corner.
It was the sort of dead-eyed finishing the 20-year-old has made his calling card since being elevated to City's first-team squad by Manuel Pellegrini last season.
When Aguero missed two Premier League matches through suspension in September, Iheanacho started and scored in both – one the opener in a Manchester derby win. He could have strengthened his case further for reinstatement but sidefooted wide after Pablo Zabaleta's cutback, as Celtic reeled from the fourth equaliser they shipped to these opponents this season.
Iheanacho also showed other strings to his bow by orchestrating a move midway through the second half only for Nolito's celebrations to be cut short by the linesman's flag.
Indeed, there was enough pleasing interplay from Nolito and Iheanacho to suggest they could function as a pair. Even without Aguero, Guardiola's options in attack remain plentiful.
Unfortunately for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss, so do his concerns elsewhere. For the fifth time this season he started with a back three and for the fifth time it did not yield a win.
Clichy endured a particularly torrid time and was fortunate not to be punished for bundling into his tormentor Roberts in the box, while Sane's deployment at left wing-back is particularly questionable given the young Germany international only appears truly comfortable in the attacking third.
In midfield, Ilkay Gundogan might have stamped his authority to greater effect, with Fernandinho joining Aguero on the naughty step until Boxing Day.
Had Leigh Griffiths or Gary Mackay-Steven taken presentable late chances, Celtic's spectre would have lingered yet more over City's tottering form. They had 10 wins from 10 competitive games this season before heading to Parkhead for a 3-3 draw. The subsequent 13 matches have brought only four more victories, with none of them at home, and a solitary clean sheet.
So there is plenty for Guardiola to mull. But, spare a thought for Aguero - every year there is always someone who it is just impossible to buy for.
news_articleTue, 06 Dec 2016 22:21:28 +0000Anonymous660180 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comAnyone who says they would not sign Messi is a liar! - CaballeroManchester City's Willy Caballero is adamant that no team in the world would turn down the chance to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/anyone-who-says-they-would-not-sign-messi-a-liar-caballero
Anyone that says they would not like to sign Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is a liar, says Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi established himself as one of the greatest talents football has ever seen under now City boss Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
The idea that Messi will ever depart Camp Nou is one that has always seemed unlikely, but City have often been linked with an audacious swoop for the Argentina international, with the presence of former Barcelona figures Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano on the board at the Etihad Stadium adding fuel to the fire.
Guardiola stated recently that Messi should finish his illustrious career at Barca, but Caballero would never turn down the chance to work with the superstar forward.
Speaking ahead of City's final Champions League group stage game against Celtic, he said: "If someone in this room says no [they would not sign Messi] he is a liar.
"Every club would like to sign him."
Messi's Argentina team-mate Sergio Aguero has come under fire after earning a four-match ban for an ugly lunge on David Luiz in City's 3-1 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
Caballero refused to chastise his team-mate, though, and says City must look ahead without their star striker.
"I think things happen a lot of time in the Premier League or Champions League in every competition," he added.
"Now he is sanctioned, it is a shame for us because we are going to lose a great player for a lot of matches.
"The most important thing now for us is to look forward and to play without Kun but it's not time now to talk about Sergio and the tackle. We have to focus on the next game and try to forget about what happened.
"It's important for us to look forward. It's no time now to talk about Sergio or the tackle. We have to focus on the next game."
news_articleMon, 05 Dec 2016 16:32:00 +0000Anonymous659704 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comGuardiola brands Sanchez transfer rumours as liesA report claimed Pep Guardiola called Alexis Sanchez after his hat-trick against West Ham, but the Manchester City boss has denied it.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/guardiola-brands-sanchez-transfer-rumours-lies
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says rumours that he has spoken to Alexis Sanchez about a possible move to the Etihad Stadium are unfounded.
A report in El Mercurio said that Guardiola called the Arsenal star shortly after he scored a hat-trick in their 5-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Saturday.
It is claimed that the former Barcelona boss has twice spoken with the Chile international, who spent a year under Guardiola at Camp Nou, about the prospect of a reunion.
Protracted talks over a new contract at the Emirates Stadium have led to increased speculation that Sanchez could leave, but Guardiola insists that the latest claims are baseless.
When asked about the report, he told a media conference: "[It's] absolutely false. The journalist is a liar. Guys - this journalist is a liar."
PEP: (on Sanchez rumours) False. The journalist is a liar. Sanchez would fit into any side in the world. #mcfc
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 5, 2016
He added, however, that "Sanchez would fit into any side in the world."
City suffered a damaging 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, in which Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were sent off in the closing minutes, prompting respective bans of four and three domestic matches.
Guardiola suggested he could field Aguero in the Champions League clash with Celtic on Tuesday, given that he will not be able to play again until the meeting with Liverpool on December 31.
"There will be changes, definitely," he said, with City having already guaranteed their place in the last 16 of the competition. "I'm so happy to give a chance to certain people who deserve to play. Whether Sergio will play or not, I will decide today or tomorrow [Tuesday]."
news_articleMon, 05 Dec 2016 14:37:40 +0000Anonymous659671 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comFA confirms four-game ban for AgueroSergio Aguero is set to miss Manchester City's next four domestic matches following his red card in the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/fa-confirms-four-game-ban-aguero
The Football Association has confirmed that Sergio Aguero is to face a four-game suspension following his red card against Chelsea on Saturday.
The Argentina international was sent off for a reckless challenge on David Luiz in injury time of Manchester City's 3-1 defeat to the Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium.
The FA updated the disciplinary page on their official website on Monday, verifying that Aguero has been given a suspension that will rule him out of matches against champions Leicester City, Watford, Arsenal and Hull City.
It is the second time Aguero has been punished for violent conduct this season, prompting the lengthier ban, after he was given a retrospective red card for elbowing West Ham's Winston Reid in August.
Team-mate Fernandinho has received a three-match suspension after he was sent off for pushing Cesc Fabregas over the advertising boards in the fracas that followed Aguero's challenge.
news_articleMon, 05 Dec 2016 13:59:23 +0000Anonymous659631 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comAguero challenge labelled 'crazy' by disappointed CahillSergio Aguero was sent off for Manchester City against Chelsea, with Gary Cahill not impressed even if the challenge was out of character.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/aguero-challenge-labelled-crazy-disappointed-cahill
Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has labelled the challenge from Sergio Aguero that got the Manchester City striker sent off as "crazy".
Aguero was shown a straight red card for his stoppage-time foul on David Luiz, which sparked a brawl that also resulted in a red card for Fernandinho on Saturday.
Cahill was shocked by the severity of the Argentina international's challenge during Chelsea's 3-1 away victory but does not think that reflects his normal game.
"Maybe it was a bit of frustration," Cahill said to The Mirror.
"It was unlike him, it was out of character for him. It looked a bad tackle, out of character, it is disappointing to see that.
"They'd had a battle, him and David, and sometimes a bit of frustration spills over.
"It was a crazy tackle, not like him."
Chelsea now sit three points clear of Arsenal and four ahead of Liverpool and City at the top of the table, with Diego Costa joint-top of the league's goalscoring charts on 11.
Cahill was again impressed by the Spain striker, who scored the visitors' equaliser and produced an influential performance.
"I've seen more composure from him," said Cahill.
"I know everyone says he’s an angry guy, but I'm seeing that composure now.
"I'm sure if you asked him, the first-half didn't go ideally. We were starved of the ball and so was he. He was scrapping around and not getting opportunities.
"In the last few years, maybe he gets frustrated at that point. But he kept his cool and got more involved in the second half.
"The players around him were playing well, defending for our lives when we didn't have the ball and he'll see that.
"He's one of the best going. There were two of the best on the pitch. He has been fantastic, showed maturity and he's banging goals in. He's on fire at the minute and we hope that continues."
news_articleSun, 04 Dec 2016 23:43:45 +0000Anonymous659446 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comWe had enough chances to win - GuardiolaKevin De Bruyne missed a glorious opportunity to put Manchester City 2-0 up and his side went on to lose 3-1.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/we-had-enough-chances-win-guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists his side created enough chances to have won their table-topping clash with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
The Premier League leaders ultimately claimed a 3-1 victory, with Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard all finding the net in the second half after Gary Cahill's own goal had gifted City the lead on the stroke of half-time.
And to compound a miserable afternoon for the home side, they lost both Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho to red cards as tempers flared over in stoppage time.
City's Kevin De Bruyne had earlier hit the crossbar from just three yards out when his side were 1-0 up, while Aguero had also gone close and Fernandinho's headed effort was correctly ruled out for offside.
And it was those near-misses that Guardiola felt cost his side dear.
"It was a very good performance from us and we created a lot of chances," he said. "We had a lot of the ball and created enough chances to win the game, but we were not strong enough in the box.
"De Bruyne should have scored, but we did not lose the game because of that particular bit of action. There were many incidents. We created two or three more chances after they went 2-1 up.
"They had three chances and scored three goals and that is a huge talent. In the box, they are so strong.
"Our level was quite good, I'm so proud of how we played. We created more chances than we did against Palace and Burnley. But football is all about goals, conceding them and making them and ultimately Chelsea are right and we are wrong because they won and we lost."
Guardiola refused to criticise Aguero, who was sent off deep for a dangerous lunge on David Luiz that left the Brazilian writhing on the ground.
But the Spaniard did express regret over the ensuing touchline fracas which culminated in Fernandinho also being dismissed.
"Both players went in strong and that's it," he said. "It's a pity it finished like this. I don't like that. I apologise for what happened."
The result marked a first home league defeat for City under Guardiola and leaves them four points adrift of Chelsea, who consolidated their position at the top of the league with what was their eighth straight top-flight win.
PEP: “Congratulations Chelsea, I’m so proud how we played. We created more chances than against Palace and Burnley" #mcfc pic.twitter.com/VVZvq97J4U
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 3, 2016
news_articleSat, 03 Dec 2016 15:50:59 +0000Anonymous658825 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comFourFourTwo’s Best 100 Football Players in the World 2016: No.9 – Sergio AgueroSeb Stafford-Bloortakes a look at the Argentines last 12 months for club and countrySeb Stafford-Bloorhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fourfourtwos-best-100-football-players-world-2016-9-sergio-aguero
Once in a while, players score goals that perfectly characterise their ability. Aguero did just that in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Swansea City in September: his touch and finish for his first goal was quintessentially him and contained all the elements which make him one of the premier forwards of his generation.
Aguero isn't flash and his game isn't a flurry of step-overs and heel-tricks. Each goal he scores (now 152 in 225 Manchester City appearances) attests to the value of honing simple attributes to their fullest extent and mastering the basics of the game; conveniently, that opener at the Liberty Stadium was a descriptive masterpiece.
There were three elements: the idea, the touch and the finish. In isolation they were all relatively simple, but together they attested to just how quickly the Argentinian's mind works and how reliable his execution is. Touch, touch... goal: it's the archetypal Aguero sequence.
Fearsome foe
The greatness of strikers can be reliably measured in fear - both of opponents and rival supporters. In only one of Aguero's six Premier League seasons has he failed to score at a rate of more than a goal a game (2012/13) and, as a consequence, there isn't a more respected marksman in the country.
Fans draw breath when he touches the ball around their box and defenders, paralysed by what they've seen and experienced of him in the past, stand off in the hope of not being embarrassed. Goal tallies are a striker's primary currency, but Aguero's worth can also be felt in those micro-reactions; other players fleetingly occupy the same territory, but he never leaves it.
2016 has been a year of growth. Aguero's more blue-collared qualities are evidenced by his self-improvement. His scoring rate remained fairly constant while under Manuel Pellegrini's direction, but he also noticeably became more of an aerial threat. More recently, Pep Guardiola has challenged his work rate and, stung by Champions League exclusion, Aguero’s responded: note his role in the equaliser against Barcelona in November or, more generally, his developing influence within his side's high press.
Still getting better
That's a highly exclusive gene, because there aren't many elite players who continue to evolve once they reach the top of the game. Aguero has done, though. He has his preferred finishes and familiar traits, but it's remarkable how many different types of goal he scores over a full season and how often, even after half a decade.
The low centre of gravity, movement off the ball and short backlift makes him lethal from anywhere within 30 yards and seemingly allows him to exist independently of defensive pressure; given the breadth of opportunity that creates, it's little surprise he continues to be remarkably eclectic.
In a world occupied by Lionel Messi, he can seem unremarkable. He doesn't translate quite as well to YouTube and doesn't draw the same fanaticism, but he remains English football's apex predator and, terrifyingly for everyone but City and Argentina, the statistics suggest that he's becoming more dangerous.
Vote for your favourite player of 2016 atForzaFootball here. We'll reveal the results next week.
The list
100-91•90-81•80-71•70-61•60-51•50-41•40-31•30-26•25•24•23•22•21•20•19•18•17•16•15•14•13•12•11•10•9•8•7•6•5•4•3•2•1
FourFourTwo’s Best 100 Football Players in the World 2016
featureFri, 02 Dec 2016 11:58:37 +0000Gregor MacGregor656809 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comAnalysed: How the Top 100 has changed over a decade - and why the Premier League is perfectAsFourFourTwomarks its 10th edition of the Top 100, Huw Davies looks at how it reflects the ways in which football has changed over the years and the occasions when we embarrassed ourselvesHuw Davieshttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/analysed-how-top-100-has-changed-over-a-decade-and-why-premier-league-perfect
“Yet another in the ever-lengthening line of New Maradonas, Aguero joined Atletico Madrid for €25m last summer and, quite frankly, failed. Yet amid the gloom, there were occasional signs of his talent.”
That’s what we wrote about Sergio Aguero in the autumn of 2007. The 19-year-old was placed 96th in the first instalment of FourFourTwo’s 100 Best Players in the World, just above Jamie Carragher. One place ahead of Aguero, at No.95, was another future Manchester City forward. If anyone’s seen Nery Castillo lately, do let us know.
Our point isn’t that things change – we all know that. It’s how they change that's fascinating. For instance, this year’s shift in the American political landscape is very different to the one that occurred in 2008. While the FFT100 doesn’t carry quite the same planet-ending potential – although it’s occasionally apparent that some readers would disagree – we too have seen interesting cultural shifts, reflected in nine years of listing the world’s best footballers.
Players have been feted, slated and eviscerated. Upstart superclubs have emerged before falling away again, existing only in the tired routines of a bad comedian (“Remember Anzhi Makhachkala? What was that about?”). Whole leagues have flourished and floundered. And as JFK once said, nations may rise and fall but you can never write off Lionel Messi.
So as the FFT100 reaches its 10th edition, we reveal how it's mirrored trends of Germany’s ascent, England’s collapse and more besides – plus, of course, the times we cocked up. You have to give the people what they want.
Aguero, by the way, rose from No.96 in 2007 to No.8 in 2008. It remains the biggest ever year-on-year improvement, after we wrote in 2007: “This could be his season.” Sometimes we get it right.
When England ruled the world
In September 2007, England were kings of football. That’s apparently what we thought, at any rate. Our countdown of Planet Earth’s 100 best players included 13 Englishmen, the most of any nation, with more than half of them taking up residence in the Top 30. There was bunting on the streets. Grown men wept with pride. Everyone was excited.
Two months later, the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008. The bunting came down. Grown men wept with despair. Everyone said FFT may have misjudged the quality of English footballers in a global context. Smart-arses.
And yes, perhaps it was a wake-up call for us as well as England – indeed, in the following year’s Top 100 list their number dropped from 13 to eight. But it also showed the extent to which the Golden Generation failed, because while we may have got a little carried away by counting Gary Neville and MLS-era David Beckham among the sport’s elite, there’s no doubt that even those abroad saw, to steal Jamie Redknapp’s schtick, “your Gerrards, your Lampards, your Rooneys” as genuinely world-class players.
Today, our Top 100 features four English players, all in the bottom half. In a weighted list, with 100 points being given to No.1 and one point to No.100, with every equivalent in between (we’re a riot at parties), England rank as low as 12th – and this is purely measuring players’ talent, not how it’s used in a national team. Last year, England scored 99 points while Spain got 895. It’s a gulf.
On the plus side for England, the likes of Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling have their best years ahead of them. And at least they’re not the Dutch. Look at those losers!
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England’s Euro 2016 debacle doesn’t come into it, either. International tournaments don’t dictate our Top 100, although they may impact on some players’ positions. Look at France. This year’s list includes 14 Frenchmen. That’s the largest ever representation from any one nation that isn’t Spain, who won so hard at football a few years ago that they twice had 21 players in our Top 100. Of those 14 Frenchmen, how many do you think were in the finalists’ Euro 2016 squad – all of them, right? Nope. Seven.
England’s drop-off over the past decade of Top 100 compilations isn’t a reflection of their failure at tournaments. It’s more the other way around.
“Davide Santon is heading for a long, distinguished career”
Intermission! We’ll return to analysing trends in a moment. First, a quick quiz. In happier times – namely 2007 and 2008 – the now-Football League trio of Newcastle, Blackburn and Portsmouth each had a player in our Top 100 lists. Can you name those three players? Answer after the picture.
Did you get all three? The answers: Michael Owen, Roque Santa Cruz and Lassana Diarra. Well, quite.
Not all of our entries have stood the test of time. The FFT100 isn’t meant to predict the future – it names the best footballers in the world at that time – but we cringe whenever we re-read our 2009 prediction that “Davide Santon is heading for a long, distinguished career”. Wilson Palacios was six places higher at No.93 that year, while at No.37 we compared rising star Yoann Gourcuff to Zinedine Zidane and said, “He should be knocking on the door of the top 10 next time around.” These players were actually good then, and hindsight is 20/20, but still. Argh.
Similarly, our 2007 claim that Inter’s David Suazo “is expected to be one of the sensations of Serie A” looks misjudged now, while this statement from 2010 may raise eyebrows in north London: “The tall, hard-working and skilful Marouane Chamakh has thundered out of the blocks at Arsenal, belting in goals for fun against Premier League opposition.”
All right, you can stop laughing now. Just remember that our 2007 list also included a teenage Aguero, a 20-year-old Samir Nasri and the 21-year-old pair of David Silva and Sergio Ramos well before they approached their peak, while Lionel Messi was in our Top 5 as young as 20. Later FFT100 countdowns featured under-21 prodigies Karim Benzema (then of Lyon), Eden Hazard (Lille), Neymar (Santos) and James Rodriguez (Porto).
The two teenagers in this year’s list, Ousmane Dembele and Renato Sanches, have been snapped up by big clubs already: Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Which brings us to our next point…
The Premier League: Europe’s last perfect competition?
Fewer clubs are represented in the Top 100 these days. This year it’s 24; in 2012, it was 32. And the chief reason is that the biggest clubs are buying talent at a younger age, so starlets such as Dembele and Sanches aren’t representing Rennes or Benfica on the list.
Sometimes these breakthrough players aren’t on the list at all, because across the calendar year, their big summer move has temporarily meant less game time. Had 22-year-old Vincent Janssen stayed in the Eredivisie after his incredible first top-flight season, he might not have dropped out of our considerations after an inevitably sluggish start in a far tougher division with Spurs. Long term, of course, it’s the right move for Janssen; as far as our Top 100 is concerned, however, there’s only room for those who immediately make an impact at that higher level, such as Samuel Umtiti at Barcelona or Raphael Guerreiro at Dortmund.
So, there’s a narrower spread of talent abroad. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico are the only La Liga teams represented in this year’s list (Villarreal’s Mario Gaspar just missed out). Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are responsible for 20 of the Bundesliga’s 22 players, although Bayer Leverkusen are also present and Wolfsburg, Cologne and Borussia Monchengladbach all had players on our longlist. Even in the Eredivisie, Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech was taken from Twente this summer.
It isn’t just youngsters, either. Juventus, like Bayern before them, are not merely buying top players, but their rivals’ top players – hence Juve’s new highest Top 100 ranking, with Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain joining a core of defensive Italian mainstays.
The Premier League is the exception, because of its lucrative new TV deal. If the opposite of a monopoly is perfect competition, the Premier League might be the closest to it. As a flurry of new contracts for Tottenham and Leicester players showed, smaller English clubs are less subservient to the lairds of the league. And so, the FFT Top 100 includes players from nine Premier League teams – more than La Liga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 combined.
That doesn’t mean the division dominates our Top 100, though, as shown by these weighted rankings of the leagues (again, assuming 100 points for the player at No. 1 and so on down to one point for No.100).
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Spreading the love
The Premier League has fewer players at the top now, but they’re more evenly spread.Chelsea had 13 players in our first list. Now it’s four – the same as Spurs, who once had only Dimitar Berbatov to their name. That’s a meritocracy, folks.
In contrast to Bayern’s 15-strong contingent – a new record high – no Premier League club has more than five. Meanwhile, Bayern, Barcelona and Real Madrid are stronger, while Milan’s giants are in the toilet.
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So what do we learn? That the Premier League spreads its talent and wealth further across the division. That Les Bleus are going places and the Oranje are not. That England are a bit crap.
Or maybe we just learned that trying to identify the world’s 100 best footballers opens you up to mockery. Wilson Palacios, for God’s sake...
New features you'd like every day on FourFourTwo.com
featureFri, 02 Dec 2016 09:40:16 +0000Greg Lea655164 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comInfographic: The 10 best attacking players in the Premier LeagueWho are the most fearsome forwards statistically over the last 12 months?http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/infographic-10-best-attacking-players-premier-league
It's our annual list of the planet's 100 best footballers this week onFourFourTwo.com– but that's not where the fun starts and ends.
MAKE A STARTFourFourTwo’s Best 100 Football Players in the World 2016: 100-91
We've also pulled together data from the Premier League to bring you the most effective stars at either ends of the pitch over the last calendar year – and here it's the attackers' turn in the spotlight(you can see the top defensive performers here).
So which 10 players have directly contributed to the most goals since November 2015, taking both goals andassists into consideration? There's a certain trend where Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane are concerned...
FourFourTwo’s Best 100 Football Players in the World 2016
featureTue, 29 Nov 2016 17:51:17 +0000Joe Brewin657273 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comGuardiola keen to crack Conte's secretsPep Guardiola will try to craft a masterplan to tackle Antonio Conte's Chelsea after Manchester City battled past Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/guardiola-keen-crack-contes-secrets
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hopes back-to-back battling away wins can set his side up for next weekend's crunch Premier League clash against Chelsea.
Sergio Aguero nursed a foot injury to hit a brace that saw City come from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 on Saturday, seven days on from triumphing by the same scoreline at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
The visitors struggled for fluency and intensity as Dean Marney's excellent 25-yard volley illuminated the early stages and they were indebted to Aguero taking his tally for the season in all competitions to 16 via a pair of penalty box scrambles – "beautiful goals" according to his manager, a man celebrated for producing football generally more easy on the eye.
Antonio Conte's Chelsea have produced their share of entertainers over recent weeks and headed into Saturday's derby versus Tottenham on the back of six straight wins without conceding, and Guardiola is hoping to learn his rival's secret ahead of their showdown.
"The Crystal Palace game and the Burnley games were really important," Guardiola told a post-match news conference.
"Now we are going to play against the best team of this moment in the Premier League.
"In the last five or six weeks they have played amazing - not just clean sheets but the way they play.
"We have to try and discover his [Conte's] secret and what we can do to beat him.
"We have now six days, seven days to prepare that game. Most of the players are tired and that's why we are going to prepare our game as much as possible."
A hard-earned triumph at Turf Moor will be the source of some of that fatigue and Guardiola has no doubt that Sean Dyche's men can secure Premier League survival on their latest visit to the top flight.
Asked whether Burnley could stay up, he said: "Of course. What they do, they do really, really well. I'm really impressed.
"It doesn't matter the way you want to play, it is important to do it properly. What they do is really good."
Burnley boss Sean Dyche was pleased with his side's display, with the exception of their set-piece defending for Aguero's equaliser, and was left to rue a sixth-minute barge on Jeff Hendrick from Nicholas Otamendi in the City area that went unpunished.
"We did that very well against a top, top side and we created chances on top of that," said Dyche, whose players improved considerably from a chastening 4-0 reverse at West Brom on Monday.
"I'm disappointed in the outcome but we went about it in the right way with a massive reaction and a massively different performance to Monday night."
On the Otamendi incident, he added: "How that's not a penalty is bizarre. I was a centre-half, he's got caught the wrong side and tried to challenge through the back of him. Anywhere on the pitch that's a foul. But, c'est la vie."
news_articleSat, 26 Nov 2016 17:44:45 +0000Anonymous656133 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comGuardiola still searching for answers as City scrape homeBurnley's playing style and some refereeing decisions left Pep Guardiola scratching his head as Manchester City scrambled to a 2-1 victory.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/guardiola-still-searching-answers-city-scrape-home
Pep Guardiola feels he still has plenty to learn about English football after Manchester City eked out a 2-1 win at Burnley.
Dean Marney volleyed the hosts into a deserved 14th-minute lead at Turf Moor but Sergio Aguero poached a goal in each half to move to 16 goals in all competitions for the campaign.
City have now won six of their seven away games in the Premier League this term and, having dropped points in each of their past three home matches on the back of Champions League action, Guardiola was pleased to follow Wednesday's exertions at Borussia Monchengladbach with three points.
"It's good news, that's true. It was so, so complicated, so difficult. We wanted control but it was almost impossible," Guardiola told BT Sport, before explaining Burnley's direct style on some of Andre Marriner's officiating left him grasping for answers.
"Still I don't understand the referees here, I need time to understand them.
"We are satisfied for the performance after the Champions League. The players showed a lot of personality.
"It's almost impossible to defend that [Burnley's style]. They are taller than us, on the second ball they are good. They are so dangerous
"These type of teams in the Premier League, they do really, really well on the second ball. I have to work to try and solve those kind of actions because in Spain and Germany it doesn't happen."
Aguero was the beneficiary of two penalty box scrambles and, although neither strike will live long in the memory, Guardiola marvelled at the Argentinian's capacity for being in the right place at the right time.
"It is his talent and they all count the same," he added, with Aguero's 2016 Premier League tally now standing at 27 - eight more than any other player.
"He played well, he moved well. He did a really, really good game."
news_articleSat, 26 Nov 2016 15:39:34 +0000Anonymous656077 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBurnley 1 Manchester City 2: Aguero steals the points at Turf MoorManchester City battled back from Dean Marney's brilliant opener as a pair of Sergio Aguero goals sunk Burnley 2-1 in the Premier League.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/burnley-1-manchester-city-2-aguero-steals-points-turf-moor
Sergio Aguero netted a scruffy brace as Manchester City came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 and go top of the Premier League, however momentarily.
City were without a win in each of their past three matches immediately on the back of Champions League duty and, after drawing 1-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach in midweek, Burnley had them up against it once more through Dean Marney's superb 14th-minute volley.
Pep Guardiola's side lacked fluency and intensity but Aguero's supreme poaching instincts came to the fore as he converted a 37th-minute corner and was on hand to net in similarly scrappy fashion with an hour played.
Burnley, hindered by the loss of Marney and Johann Gudmundsson to injury, were unable to avoid a third loss at a typically vociferous Turf Moor this season despite a vast improvement from Monday's 4-0 thrashing at West Brom.
Indeed, City were left hanging on in order to edge ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool before their nearest rivals host Tottenham and Sunderland respectively, and they were grateful for their masterful marksman's 15th and 16th goals of the campaign.
Aguero's fierce low drive brought a sharp save from veteran Burnley goalkeeper Paul Robinson – making his Clarets debut and a first Premier League appearance for 1664 days after England international Tom Heaton was ruled out with a calf injury.
But it was a rare moment of City encouragement after a lethargic start to the match and they deservedly fell behind.
Gudmundsson thudded a drive into Claudio Bravo's chest moments before the Chile international was powerless to keep Marney's sweetly struck volley out of the bottom left corner.
Nolito was denied by a plunging Robinson save and a lunging Matthew Lowton block in quick succession but Aguero scrambled City level from the latter chance's resulting corner.
Robinson rolled back the years to deny Aguero at full stretch but Marney and Gudmundsson limping off further checked Burnley's excellent opening to the contest.
Marney's replacement Scott Arfield teed up Lowton to cross and Sam Vokes' header forced a stop from Bravo in first-half stoppage time.
City's opening to the second period was a sharp improvement on their initial efforts as Aguero had a shot blocked and Yaya Toure drove over left-footed at the end of an intricate passing move.
Burnley sat in front of extended periods of City possession that did not threaten enough for Guardiola's liking and the ineffective Raheem Sterling made way for Leroy Sane after sustaining a heavy but fair challenge from former City youngster Ben Mee.
Stand-in home captain Mee was involved in vain as City hit the front, making a block inside the area before botching a clearance and ending up splayed on the floor with Stephen Ward and James Tarkowski.
Sane and Fernandinho almost made a similar hash of the opportunity presented to them but the latter managed to pick out Aguero from the byline for a simple finish.
Burnley refused to accept their lot and Aleksandar Kolarov cleared a Michael Keane header out of his goalmouth.
Bravo did not always inspire confidence during a late onslaught but he held an Ashley Barnes overhead kick in stoppage time to make sure of a sixth City win in seven away league games this season.
KEY OPTA STATS
- Burnley have lost as many home league games in their last four as they did in the previous 22 combined (2).
- The Citizens have lost just one of their last 15 top-flight games, winning nine and drawing five.
- Sergio Aguero has scored 33 goals in his last 34 Premier League appearances for Manchester City.
- Sergio Aguero has now scored against 29 of the 30 different teams that he's faced in the Premier League, only failing to score against Bolton.
- Dean Marney scored his first Premier League goal in 2558 days, since netting for Hull v Everton in November 2009.
- Manchester City have kept just two clean sheets in their 13 Premier League games under Pep Guardiola.
news_articleSat, 26 Nov 2016 14:33:48 +0000Anonymous656053 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comReal Madrid dominate UEFA Team of the Year nomineesAlmost half of the players nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year ply their trade in LaLiga and most of those play for Real Madrid.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/real-madrid-dominate-uefa-team-year-nominees
Real Madrid could name a starting line-up consisting almost exclusively of UEFA Team of the Year nominees, with the 40-man, LaLiga-dominated list announced on Monday.
The 2016 Champions League winners have eight players among the star-studded selection of Europe's finest talent, headlined by Ballon d'Or favourite Cristiano Ronaldo.
Madrid's prominence on the list contributes to the total of 18 players from Spain's top flight, which dwarves the 12 who hail from the Premier League.
There are 15 first-time nominees – including Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez – and fans from across the globe will cast their vote on who should make the cut.
Ronaldo appears for a record 13th time and Madrid are one of 21 clubs represented. Three of the Portugal captain's international colleagues - Rui Patricio, Raphael Guerreiro and Pepe - are in the reckoning after their Euro 2016 triumph.
Behind LaLiga and the Premier League, the Bundesliga accounts for five of those named, while no Serie A club besides champions Juventus have any representatives.
Last year's poll saw Barcelona's Lionel Messi receive the most votes, with 448,445, but his Bernabeu rival Ronaldo has been included among the final selection 10 times – more than anyone else.
The winning XI will be announced by European football's governing body on January 5.
Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio (Sporting), Keylor Navas (Real Madrid), Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Defenders: Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Pepe (Real Madrid), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Joe Allen (Stoke City), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Neymar (Barcelona), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
news_articleMon, 21 Nov 2016 17:52:31 +0000Anonymous653849 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comXavi, Iniesta deserve Ballon d'Or - SaviolaXavi and Andres Iniesta have been unlucky to miss out on the Ballon d'Or, according to their former Barcelona team-mate Javier Saviola.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/xavi-iniesta-deserve-ballon-dor-saviola
Former Barcelona striker Javier Saviola believes Andres Iniesta and Xavi should have won the Ballon d'Or during their careers but were unlucky to play in the "age" of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Saviola joined Barcelona as a 19-year-old in 2001 and spent six years at the club in total, though two of those seasons were spent on loan at Monaco and Sevilla, respectively.
During his time at the club he played alongside both Iniesta and Xavi, who ultimately went on to become the midfield linchpins of Barca's domination under Pep Guardiola, as well as key figures in Spain's rise to prominence between 2008 and 2012.
Despite their worldwide acclaim, neither Xavi nor Iniesta have ever won the Ballon d'Or, with the former coming third three times and the latter named runner-up in 2010, a fact that disappoints Saviola.
"Iniesta is spectacular in all senses," Saviola told Omnisport. "He always has this touch of quality that has delighted the world of football.
"It would have been beautiful to see Andres win a Ballon d'Or. Also Xavi.
"The thing is that nowadays it's about Cristiano or Messi or some other that enter the competition, but they [Iniesta and Xavi] also have deserved it. They have had great seasons. But in this age the Ballon d'Or goes to Messi or Cristiano."
During Saviola's spell at Camp Nou, he was also a team-mate of Guardiola and he is not remotely surprised by his success as a coach, though he believes the Manchester City boss owes more to his leadership than tactical acumen.
"He [Guardiola] was the same [as a player]," Saviola added. "He had a very strong character.
"When I was his team-mate I noticed that in future he was going to be a coach. I knew because of the way he expressed himself, because how he managed the group. He had a lot of personality and he always was a leader within the team. Yes, I saw it [his success] coming.
"I noticed that because of his leadership rather than because of his tactical skills - he was more of a leader. Probably after that he improved himself. You have to study to be a coach.
"Sure, after you stop being a player you improve in other ways in order to be a coach. But, yes, he was a leader inside the dressing room and on the pitch.
"He had a very strong personality. He always wanted the best of each player. I saw it coming that he was going to be someone important in the world of football."
Now Guardiola is in the Premier League at City with Saviola's Argentine compatriot Sergio Aguero, and the former striker feels the duo will ultimately be a good fit for each other.
He said: "I believe both Guardiola and Aguero need each other. Kun [Aguero] has been playing in very important clubs too.
"Hopefully Guardiola will help him to reach his best level. I trust that they will connect well to each other. They are two professionals working to do the best for City."
news_articleFri, 18 Nov 2016 22:40:00 +0000Anonymous652599 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com